MLA floats idea of making P.E.I.-N.S. ferry service a provincial Crown corporation

An MLA from eastern Prince Edward Island saystheprovincial government might propose taking over the Northumberland Strait ferry service from Transport Canada.

Darlene Compton, who represents Belfast-Murray River, has requested an in-person meeting with federal Transportation Minister Anita Anand about the state of the beleaguered service between the Island and Nova Scotia.

"We're trying not to make this the blame game, but we do need some answers and we need to know that we are going to have not only a reliable ferry service, but a more reliable ferry service," Compton told Island Morning's Josefa Cameron.

"We need to know how we're going to get to that point."

There have been no boats running across the strait since the middle of September, and there are some doubts as to whether the Northumberland Ferries-run service will return before the scheduled end of the sailing season on Dec. 20.

Earlier this week, more mechanical issues were discovered with one of the main engines of MV Saaremaa, which is being leased from Quebec's ferry service for a third season. The vessel won't be repaired before it has to return to Quebec once that lease ends on Oct. 26.

• LISTEN: Highlights from Island Morning'sOct. 18 remote broadcast on P.E.I.'s ferry service

Earlier in September, the service's other ferry MV Confederation went in for repairs at a Pictou shipyard following a collision with the Wood Islands wharf. The collision left the Confederation with a hole in the visor coveringits bow entrance.

On Friday, Compton said she wants to have a constructive conversation with Anand about the service, including the idea that the province could manage Northumberland Ferries better than Transport Canada.

"I've mentioned possibly creating a Crown corporation where the Island would take over the ferry service," Compton said.

"[It would] still get the subsidies and the vessels and have [the federal government] still pay the bills they're paying now, but the responsibility would be with the province and possibly with Nova Scotia as well."

$20 ferry and bridge fees?

Meanwhile, P.E.I. Premier Dennis King has written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requesting financial support, firm deadlines for ferry repairs, and timeline commitments for replacement vessels.

"The ongoing instability of this critical transportation link is unacceptable and poses significant risks to both public safety and the economy of our province," King wrote in his letter to Trudeau, which the premier also posted on social media.

"In addition to addressing the service disruptions, I reiterate my call for the federal government to reduce the tolls for both the ferry and Confederation Bridge to $20. At minimum, the federal government must implement this as an interim measure to demonstrate a commitment to alleviating the burden on Islanders."

Transport Canada purchased a Norwegian vessel, MV Fanafjord, to fill the gap until a new ferry can be built. The Fanafjord is scheduled to arrive late this year, but won't go into service until the 2025 season.

The federal government is spending $43 million on a replacement ferry for MV Holiday Island, which caught fire in Wood Islands in 2017 and had to be scrapped.

There is no clear timeline for when construction of that vessel is expected to start, and officials now say it could be delivered as late as 2030.

Meanwhile, there is still at least some hope on the horizon for the ferry service's resumption before the end of this year,Northumberland Ferries general manager Jeff Joyce told Island Morning's Laura Chapin on Friday.

NFL is still waiting for approval from Transport Canada to operate the vessel with just one bow visor, Joyce said.

If that happens, the Confederation could be back in service by mid-November.

If the ferry is not allowed to operate without the bow visor, the earliest it will return to service is Dec.9.